Once a Champion

by Jeannie Watt

  He shifted his weight, rocking back slightly. “I want to help Liv. Like she helped me.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “Yeah. I know. Feels like a century.”

  “Feels like yesterday to me.”

  Matt cocked his head at the man’s unguarded admission, spoken so softly he almost didn’t hear it. But now the walls were back up, as if the admission had slipped out of the older man without permission and Tim was going to make damned certain it never happened again.

  “Liv took a look at my knee today. Professionally,” Matt added. “She comped the visit. When I tried to write a check, Etta tore it up.”

  Tim’s lips twitched slightly, so Matt knew he’d amused him. Hell, it had been kind of funny, but as a guy who didn’t like being indebted, it hadn’t seemed funny at the time.

  “So I owe her for more than calculus. It looks like her hands are full now with a job, so she can’t help you out. I can.”

  Tim would have loved to have said he didn’t need anyone’s help—Matt knew, because it was exactly what he would have wanted to say under the same circumstances—but the condition of the ranch made it impossible to tell that particular lie.

  “Your parents have a fine ranch you could be helping on.”

  “They don’t need help.”

  Tim let out a breath. Matt wanted to say there was nothing wrong with needing help, but kept his mouth shut. Finally, Tim gave one short nod.

  “That back fence needs tightening.”

  “I can do that.” Matt tipped his hat back slightly. “I can do it tomorrow morning.” Tim still didn’t appear thrilled, but for some reason he’d caved. “I have a kid staying with me. Willa’s boy. Do you care if he comes along?”

  “Why would I?”

  Matt shrugged. “Just thought I’d clear it with you.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  AFTER HER LAST cranky patient, who’d actually managed to take her mind off from Matt for a few minutes, Liv was running late. She’d finally convinced the guy that the pain was inevitable and would only get worse if he didn’t endure it now, but it had taken fifteen minutes longer than he’d been scheduled for.

  Even though she’d hated to bother him, Liv called Tim as she headed out and asked him to hook up the trailer and load Beckett so that all she had to do was to change clothes and hit the road.

  Sure enough, the truck and trailer were ready when she got there, Beckett saddled and loaded. She dashed into the house to find it filled with the rich scent of pasta sauce.

  “I thawed one of the casseroles Walter’s wife sent over last year when I sprained my wrist. Do you have time to eat?”

  Liv shook her head. “I’ll grab an energy bar and eat when I get home.”

  She pulled into Andie’s yard at 5:35, loaded Beckett’s good buddy Mike, and the four of them headed off for the arena, arriving just as the other team members were gathering at Linda’s truck.

  “Oh. My,” Liv said, staring at the group as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. “What is that thing she’s holding up?”

  “One of our new shirts,” Andie said mildly. “Rhinestone Rough Riders like spangles, thus the name.”

  “And fringe.”

  “Yes, indeed,” Andie said, getting out of the truck.

  A few minutes later Liv had a neatly folded bundle of clothing—a red glittery shirt with long white fringe, sparkly black pants, a giant rhinestone belt buckle to go on the belt of her choice, a rhinestone tiara for her hat and white fringed gloves. A smile quivered on her lips, but she didn’t dare let it break out. Her teammates appeared all agog over the new outfits, even Margo, whom she’d thought was more of a wool-and-corduroy type person.

  “How often do you get a chance to indulge a dress-up fantasy in public?” Andie asked as they carried their bundles back to the truck.

  “Halloween?” Liv said.

  “What did the Billings gals wear?”

  “Dark jeans, white shirts and red neckerchiefs.”

  “Pfft.” Andie smirked as she stowed her clothes in the rear seat of the truck. “No fringe?”

  “Not a strand.” Liv started for the trailer, but Andie stopped her.

  “We’re not done.”

  “No?”

  “Got to go back for our horse gear.”

  The horse gear consisted of a saddle pad cover, bridle, breast collar, leggings and various beribboned tail barrettes—all sparkly red.

  “This clashes with Beckett’s coloring,” Liv said as they made their second trip back to the truck.

  “Don’t think that hasn’t been brought up. Next year they’re talking turquoise or blue to complement all the horses.”

  “Where does the money come from?”

  “Various fund-raisers. And we have a few sponsors. Like me.”

  “You’re responsible?”

  Andie hunched a shoulder. “I like to live my childhood dress-up fantasies in public. What can I say?”

  The practice was a long one. Linda was stressed since their first performance was only a week away and the team kept messing up the pattern. There was no slowing to a trot, though, so Liv spent the evening flying around the arena, hoping for the best...and kind of enjoying herself. She’d finally come to terms with the fact that she was no longer part of a sedate parade team. She was now a Rhinestone Rough Rider with the spangles to prove it.

  On Linda’s whistle, Liv pulled Beckett to a sliding halt, performed a rollback in perfect sync with Andie and then thundered off in the opposite direction.

  “Way to go!” Margo called as she passed.

  “Thanks,” Liv yelled back, even though she was now too far away for Margo to hear. Shae, who’d always called her a chicken on horseback, would have been amazed at how far Liv had come.

  Shae... Now, there was something to think about besides Matt and her father. Liv had to keep her promise to her mom and try to rein in her stepsister the next time they had a wedding meeting. Linda blew the whistle and Liv reversed course again.

  She’d think about Shae later.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING was Liv’s first day off from the clinic, and she slept in—if one could count staying in bed until six-thirty as sleeping in. She heard Tim moving around in the kitchen as she crossed the hall to the bathroom and was glad that he was no longer heading out to the tractor at the crack of dawn. The weather had cooled over the past several days as a stormy weather pattern approached and he no longer had to try and beat the heat.

  “Beautiful,” Liv murmured as she caught her first glimpse of herself in the mirror. She’d showered off the arena dust the night before and had gone to bed with her hair wet. Now she was paying the price. Bent, alien hair. She reached into the drawer for an elastic and pulled her hair into a ponytail, then doubled it over and caught it again, making a messy bun that would have had her mother sending her back to the bathroom to fix it had she seen it.

  Well, she couldn’t see it. No one could see it because Liv was spending the day at the back fence.

  Tim was gone by the time she got to the kitchen. The carafe was full of coffee, though, and scrambled eggs were waiting in the warming oven. Maybe he really did feel better. Maybe it just took a while at his age to totally recover from whatever had knocked him for a loop.

  Damn, she hoped so anyway.

  She made toast, ate her eggs, did the dishes, then filled a travel cup with coffee and headed out the door toward the barn where th
e small tractor was parked. Tim finally had it running and she could use it to fix that fence.

  Humming a little as she walked out, she stopped dead, almost dropping her cup, when she saw Matt’s truck parked under the elm tree.

  Not right.

  The passenger door was open and Matt was dropping tools into a bucket. Liv started marching toward him. He closed the truck door and hefted the bucket just as she came to a halt a few feet away from him.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, looking him up and down.

  “Helping Tim.”

  For a moment, she simply stared. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s pretty simple, Liv. I’m going to tighten the back fence so that Beckett doesn’t go visiting the neighbors again.”

  “I’m going to do that.”

  “You’re free to help. We’ll get done twice as fast that way.”

  He walked toward his tractor, putting on his gloves. Liv hesitated a moment, then jogged after him. He stopped abruptly and turned toward her. Liv skidded to a stop, ending up closer to him than she’d intended. “I want to know what you’re up to.”

  “I’m paying a debt.”

  “To whom?”

  “To you.”

  Outrage boiled up inside of her. “You owe me no debt. I looked at your knee because I wanted to. No strings.”

  His mouth curved slightly. “Maybe that isn’t the debt.”

  She felt the stupid color start to rise in her face. “There is no other debt.”

  “I took a lot of your time once. And apparently missed a lot of cues because I was pretty damned self-centered. Trust me, you dodged a bullet—”

  “I know I dodged a bullet,” Liv said from between her teeth. “I’m relieved, which is why there is no debt. Your payment to me was being too obtuse to realize that I was head over heels for you at that time.” Her mouth tightened briefly before she repeated slowly and distinctly, in order to get it into his male brain, “At. That. Time.”

  He smiled again. A maddening ghost of a smile. “I’ve only got a couple hours to spare today. Are you coming or not?”

  “No, I’m not coming.”

  He shrugged and started for the tractor again. Liv fought the impulse to pull off her shoe and chuck it at his head. Instead, she headed back to the house. Out in the field, Tim puttered along on the big tractor, oblivious to the upheaval he was causing.

  Although Matt didn’t seem that concerned. All of the upheaval appeared to be on her part, which seemed wrong.

  Well, damn.

  Behind her the usually cranky tractor started up first try, and a few seconds later, the engine roared as Matt put it into gear.

  Matt Montoya on her ranch. What had Tim been thinking?

  She was damned well going to find out at dinner and put an end to this Matt-the-helper nonsense. The thing that bothered her was the why. Why was he doing this? Shouldn’t he be roping or something? Why help Tim? Was it truly because she’d poured her guts out to him and he felt guilty? Well, if so, a better way to pay the debt would be to stay off the place. Away from her and away from Beckett.

  Liv waited for all of half an hour before she walked the half mile out to where her father was working. He stopped the tractor when he saw her coming, turning off the engine as she strode across the field, his expression one of concern.

  “Why is Matt Montoya stretching the fence?” she asked.

  “It’s sagging.”

  Liv kicked a clump of dirt. “You know what I mean.”

  “He offered. I said yes.”

  “Dad—”

  “I felt for the kid, all right?”

  “You...what?” Felt for the kid? Matt was no kid and why Tim would “feel” for him, she had no idea. Tim wasn’t a feely type of guy.

  “He’s not in a good place,” Tim explained, sounding more like Andie than himself.

  Oh, this was great. “So the answer is to let him stretch fence.”

  “He offered.”

  For a moment Liv thought her head might explode. She pressed the palms of both hands to her temples. Then she simply turned and started walking across the field.

  She’d made it all of five yards when he put the tractor back into gear. So now she had two men running tractors, which was one man too many. Liv had had enough.

  She pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and dialed her mother. If someone had told Liv that she would purposely put herself in the line of fire and get involved in Shae’s wedding preparations, she would have laughed, but right now it seemed like a great idea. Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t answering the phone.

  Liv sucked it up and dialed Shae.

  “Liv, what a surprise,” Shae said when she answered.

  “Just checking in,” Liv said. “How’s it going?”

  “Things are hectic. Very hectic. I got this great idea about using origami flowers instead of the real thing, but the time involved is crazy and hiring someone to do it is not going to be cheap.”

  “How does the cost compare to real flowers?”

  “A little less than the lilies,” Shae said. “But the origami would be so cool and since I’m wearing a simple column dress, the overall effect would be incredible.”

  A simple column dress that cost more than Liv made in a month.

  “Oh, and bad news,” Shae continued. “I ordered the bridesmaid dresses a week too late. The sale was no longer in effect, so they’re twenty percent more than expected.”

  “It’s only money,” Liv said, hoping the irony in her words hit Shae square in the face.

  It didn’t.

  “Yeah. I know. Hey—how are you at folding paper?”

  “I—”

  “Just kidding.” She let out a sigh. A happy kind of sigh that told Liv that although her stepsister’s life was hectic, she was enjoying her wedding preparations. “I may give up on that idea, but if I do, then I’d have to go with lilies and they are mucho expensive.”

  “It has to be the lilies? Why not white roses? Or carnations? Carnations smell so good.”

  “Oh, come on,” Shae said. “First of all the symbolism is all wrong and roses are so passé. And carnations? Boutonniere fodder.”

  “They’re pretty and they are a lot less expensive. Besides that,” Liv said, thinking of her mother’s call, “do you really need to break the bank on this wedding? I know it’s important, but in a year or two, will it matter?”

  “This will be my one wedding,” Shae said. “I want it to be right.”

  “But what about mom and dad and finances?”

  “I offered to pay. Dad said no, but don’t worry. Reed and I will strong-arm him into taking at least half of the money.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to do that?”

  Shae laughed. “When haven’t I been able to get Dad to do what I wanted?”

  No one should be that sure of themselves and somehow it depressed Liv, who couldn’t get her own father to admit that he was feeling ill.

  “By the way, did you get the email about shoes?”

  “Our shoes don’t show, Shae.”

  “They’re not that much.”

  “They’re satin and pretty much one use.” A total waste of seventy-nine dollars.

  “Order before your size goes out of stock.”

  “Aye, aye,” Liv said. “Well, I’ve got to run. Say hi to Mom for me.”

  “Uh, all right. Thanks for calling.”

 
Liv hung up and shoved the phone into her pocket. Shae drove her crazy. But she hadn’t thought about Matt for a whole five aggravating minutes.

  And she wasn’t going to think about him. She was getting out of there. She could see the tractor at the far end of the pasture so felt safe hooking up the trailer and loading Beckett. She and her favorite confidant were going to the mountains, where she was going to put all her cares aside and enjoy a day in the saddle.

  * * *

  THE TRUCK AND TRAILER disappeared down the driveway in a cloud of dust. Matt opened his water bottle and took a long drink. He’d kind of hoped that he and Liv might “talk” again before he left, but it looked like she wasn’t up for that.

  He capped the water bottle and put it away. Another half hour and he’d have the fence done, then maybe he could talk to Tim about some other stuff he could do around the place. Just an hour or two for a few days—enough to make the point to Liv that he did pay his debts, past and present, and to maybe see if he could light her up again.

  Had she been like this all along? Hiding her feistiness behind the facade of shy braininess?

  The crush had probably only added to her shyness. Well, she wasn’t shy now, and Matt found himself more than a little intrigued by that fact. What had made her break free?

  Once the fence was finished, Matt walked out across the field Tim was working. The big tractor rolled to a stop and Tim took it out of gear and climbed down out of the cab. From the way he winced when his feet hit the ground, Matt wished he hadn’t.

  “All done,” he said, pulling off his gloves.

  Tim nodded.

  “I, uh, could come back and do some other stuff.” He was roping in the afternoons, but his mornings were wide-open.

  “Like what?”

  “What did you let slide while you were sick?”

  “The grain sheds need to be scraped and painted. Screws need tightened on the plank fences. Need new gravel in the driveway, have a couple gate posts that need reset.”